Kentucky is the premier basketball school in the SEC and has suffered through long stretches of futility on the football field.

But through a history that goes back more than 120 years, the Wildcats have had some talented and successful people make their mark on the gridiron.

Digging deep into the history of the UK program brings up questions about just who should make the program’s all-time “Mount Rushmore.”

Does a coach who is more famous for his accomplishments at another school deserve to represent the Wildcats? Does one outstanding season outweigh years of consistency? How much influence should a Hall of Fame pro career have?

It wound up being tough to narrow it down to just four figures to loom over the Kentucky football program, and a few names that might be expected didn’t make the cut. Sorry Tim Couch, Bob Gain and George Blanda.

With that in mind here’s a look at our choices for Kentucky’s Mount Rushmore.

Who’s In?

Paul “Bear” Bryant

Bryant has the rare honor of making the list for two SEC schools and was considered for a third. Though he certainly earned more fame at Alabama (and perhaps Texas A&M), Bryant’s eight-year tenure at Kentucky included the best three-year stretch in the program’s history.

After losing the Orange Bowl in 1950, Bryant’s Wildcats won the Sugar Bowl and the Cotton Bowl the following two seasons. The 1951 Sugar Bowl victory was an upset of No. 1 Oklahoma and snapped the Sooners’ 31-game winning streak.

Bryant won one SEC Coach of the Year award before moving on to Texas A&M in 1953. The Wildcats program suffered for decades following his departure.

Rich Brooks

Just about any success the Wildcats have enjoyed in recent memory can be credited to Brooks, who before the 2003 season took over a program hit with probation. The first few years were rough enough that Brooks retired with a losing record at the school, but the former Oregon coach had the Wildcats in a bowl game by 2006.

It was the start of four straight winning seasons under Brooks, which included three bowl victories. He also got Kentucky to a Top 10 ranking during the 2007 season and scored memorable victories against Georgia, ending a nine-game losing streak to the Bulldogs, and LSU, winning a triple-overtime classic against the No. 1 Tigers.

Brooks should also get plenty of credit for the 2010 Compass Bowl team he handed over to Joker Phillips.

Babe Parilli

Parilli was the quarterback on some of Bryant’s best Kentucky teams, earning consensus All-American honors in 1950 and 1951. He led the Wildcats to the greatest victory in program history, the 1951 Sugar Bowl upset of Oklahoma.

In that game, Parilli led Kentucky on an 81-yard drive in the second quarter to give the Wildcats a 13-0 lead, enough to secure a 13-7 victory. He went on to become the fourth overall pick in the 1952 NFL Draft and enjoyed a 17-year pro playing career.

Career numbers: 4,351 passing yards, 50 touchdowns
Individual superlatives: First-team All-American, College Football Hall of Fame

Randall Cobb

Cobb has gone on to NFL stardom as a receiver and return man with the Green Bay Packers, but before that he was the most accomplished player to come out of the Brooks/Phillips era of Kentucky football. Cobb did a little bit of everything for the Wildcats, doing a little bit of everything to become UK’s all-time touchdown leader and set the SEC single season record for all-purpose yards in 2009.

After making the SEC All-Freshman team as a quarterback in 2008, he switched to receiver as a sophomore and really flourished, though he also played a big role as the “Wildcat” formation quarterback. In three seasons at Kentucky he led the Wildcats to a bowl game every year.

Career numbers: 2,974 yards from scrimmage, 689 passing yards, 1,700 return yards, 37 touchdowns
Individual superlatives: First-team All-American